Looking at life through The Beautiful Eye

Menu

While I’m swanning around having a beatific time decorating the house for Christmas my alter-ego Mrs. Butterfingers is puttering about in the kitchen. There is panetonne set to raise . Mince pies to roll out. Short bread to bake. The kitchen is filled with delicious aromas of Christmas.

Mrs. Butterfingers keeps a few easy recipes for dips in her apron pocket. Add the basic ingredients to your grocery shopping list and keep them to hand. They are refreshingly different and delicious rift on some old friends.

This CAESAR DIP leaves the salad bowl and takes on a new role as a great dip. Use the pale green heart leaves of romaine or roll the large leaves lengthwise into tight cylinders.

CREAMY CHÈVRE DIP combines herbs, hot pepper sauce and sun-dried tomatoes for a creamy dip for crunchy fresh vegetable sticks. They are deceptively easy but the precut vegetable trays are not always the freshest. For the crispest possible vegetables create your own from carrots, celery ,fennel, red pepper and green beans. If you use broccoli blanch and refresh it in ice water for the bright green appearance and tender stalks.

You and Mrs. Butterfingers are quite busy! Thanks for the new dip recipes – they sound good and would be a light and spicy change from the rich sweets of Christmas. I can almost smell the warmth your kitchen!

The Caesar dip started with my dressing. My son so love it he was dipping vegetables into it. So I just added some sour cream and changed the fresh garlic to powdered garlic and he was a happy boy. Turned out to be a big during the summer bbq parties. Happy holidays dear Jo Nell. XX Virginia